Event: March 13, 2018 in front of the Capitol building in Washington was a “shoe” action. 7,000 thousand pairs of children’s shoes were put on the lawn in front of the Congress building. Children’s shoes are described by 7,000 children who were shot during the last 5 or more years, beginning with the massacre at the “Sandy Hook” primary school in Connecticut in 2012.
The purpose of the action: to draw public attention to the problem of the availability of weapons and the number of victims among children shot by criminals. After the adoption of the law on restrictions on the purchase of weapons, the number of crimes has not decreased, and the problem has remained.
Direction: Safety
Tool: volunteers, NСO, experts
Method: street performance
Media coverage:
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/13/politics/shoe-memorial-congress-gun-violence/index.html
Видео: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7Mitu5FXno
The reaction of society: thanks to visualization and the number of children’s shoes, which occupied the entire area in front of the Capitol, the organizers demonstrated the seriousness of the problem in the state. With renewed vigor, anti-arming protests broke out, with the demand to solve the issue of children’s safety.
International resonance: Shoe shares are held in many countries, so in Mexico they symbolize people who have disappeared in the fight against drug traffickers. The action under the Capitol was supported by international human rights defenders and foundations, and in European countries restricted the sale of weapons.
What has been achieved: the discussions in the US Senate and Congress about the safety of children in schools and restrictions on the sale of weapons.